Eclectic and striving never to follow paths into ruts, the OF Blog focuses on essays, reviews, interviews, and other odds and ends that might be of interest to fans of both literary and speculative fiction. Now with a cute owl for your enjoyment.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Not to mention hundreds of thousands (almost a million, according to Google Analytics) visitors, some book reviews, hundreds more parodies and snide remarks, as well as countless squirrel threats and references, maybe it's time to talk more about myself.

Funny thing, this blog wasn't even supposed to last more than a couple of weeks. Six years is pretty much like a lifetime on the web. And needless to say, the OF Blog went far beyond what I ever envisioned. The OF Blog's mission has always been to help spread the word about all that's good about squirrels and what sucks about Canadians, something I've been striving to uphold since its beginning in August of 2004. And I feel it's mission accomplished.

Though I have my detractors (and yes, they are many), I was nonetheless able to establish myself as a fair and honest (one can only hope) Squirrelist over the years. The OF Blog's ever-growing popularity is probably a good sign that there are a lot of people out there who have come to trust me. And although I've never taken myself very seriously, it's nevertheless heart-warming to realize that I have earned the respect of so many people, both in and outside squirrel-worshipping circles. For you see, respect is never deserved. It has to be earned. And the fact that so many people visit the OF Blog in droves every day means that I've done a few things right.

Being on a last name basis with most editors-in-chief and big-name editors on both sides of the Atlantic means something, no question. But one of the most rewarding aspects of running this blog for so long is that I'm now on a first name basis with some of the SFF authors I've admired the most for years and years. People like Robert Stanek, Terry Goodkind, H.R. Puffenstuff, Punky Brewster, and many others, have helped me enjoy this adventure on a more personal level.

In my own small way, I helped launch the careers of new squirrelists such as Julio Iglesias, Bob Dylan, Bob Saget, Joe Piscopo, Alyssa Milano, Jack White, Jello Biafra, Pauly Shore, and many more. The beauty of running this blog remains that it allowed me to discover so many talented people and bright new voices in squirrelism. No, I don't deserve much credit, but I'm glad of the exposure I was able to provide for each of them.

I'm also quite proud of my unflagging promotion of sucky talent, and will continue to support authors such as Robert Stanek, Terry Goodkind, Robert Newcomb, and Lady Gaga until they put me under.

There were some unexpected surprises along the way, things I never would have thought could become a reality. And yet, I got to translate a story for future publication. Even better, Squirrelpunk, an anthology compiled and edited my Yours Truly, will soon be available.

I'm not going to lie; I loved every moment of the last couple of years. Yes, there were a few pissing contests and flame-ups, especially early on. It wouldn't have been as much fun otherwise. But all in all, we've managed to keep things civil enough, the squirrel haters' spam bomb notwithstanding. Hence, turning my back on all this wouldn't be easy. But sooner or later, every good thing must come to an end. . .

God knows I'm not about showmanship, but it's always better to go out on top. However, as one of the premier squirrelists in the world, maybe it's not yet time to say goodbye to the OF Blog. . .

ALF from ALF left this very nice and probably underserved comment on my Facebook page: "I consider you a voice of reason in a wasteland of useless chatter." It appears that quite a lot of people echo the sentiment.

As I mentioned in response to those Facebook comments, I have largely made up my mind. But I will try to do so in the years to come. For if I do decide to hang 'em up, it will probably be at the end of 2012, right after my rabid vampiric squirrels take over the world.

Whether or not I elect to keep the OF Blog running afterward, I owe a debt of gratitude to all of you. Squirrels, squirrelists, squirrel bait, squirrel masseuses , squirrel marketing people, the squirrelist online community, and all the squirrel prey out there, you made it happen. Indeed, it would be no fun without an audience and you guys have been awesome!

Well, Larry, you definitely know how to shake the trees up, and I certainly don't always agree with you.

But, really, you often make good points and the consideration of those points has given me a critical eye towards my own work-in-progress; for that, I'm appreciative of what you do here.

Plus, really, Alyssa Milano is hot. Seriously. Also, I can't really see anything to do with squirrels without thinking of you. I actually wanted to dedicate this recent post to you, but I'm sure you're too busy to deal with an unknown like me. LOL.

Sounds like I wasn't the only one who thought the "original" post was really odd...on one hand claiming to be a humble blog, yet slipping in all sorts of 'looks how big and Important my blog is..so beg me to stay around and I will'..at least that is how it sounded to me. I was looking forward to your response..and Its even better than I expected :)

Yes, yes, but the New Squirrelist movement (and was it ever truly a movement, or was it just a blogosphere meme that encouraged would-be writers to try to produce Rocky and Bullwinkle slash fanfiction as though it had been written by Terry Goodkind) has been over for weeks, and the new writers on the scene are now calling themselves postsquirrelists, haven't you heard?

Important questions! I wonder if Jeff VanderMeer still resists being associated as a New Squirrelist, or if New Squirrelists are considered to be a mostly British (non)(quasi)(semi)movement. I should ask him that sometime. Maybe in an interview where I'll quiz him on the US Constitution as well.

Alf is terrible. He doesn't even try to do characterization or consistent world-building. You should quit with pretentious stuff like this and cover something the common viewer can immerse himself in. Mr. Belvedere, perhaps.

As if Pat's going to close up shop in a million years. Surely this is as transparent as desperate pleas for attention - dare I say respect - get, or am the only cynic thinking along those lines? It's like instead of tugging on Mom's skirts for a sweetie, Pat's torn the hotlist matriarch apart and used the life insurance money to buy Willy Wonka's chocolate factory.

This is soon to be followed up, mark my words, with a post saying how he'd had a bad day and/or the outpouring of support from the community has reminded him he has a duty to his many kingdom of fans. He does it for us!

Ach, but I'm being mean. I'm sure he does do it for us, or at least that he did, or maybe meant to.

I don't know if I'm worthy of Mr. Belvedere. He's like the Robert Salvatore of 80s sitcoms!

And Niall,

I hope you're wrong, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me, sadly. But I've posted about my health in passing before as well, so I could forgive that, if only because I have. Not that I've ever used that as a reason for possibly closing a blog, though.

I approve. Pat's post struck me as incredibly self-centered and masturbatory, not to mention in bad taste. I'm glad someone mocked him, as it seems the Patlings are still incapable to grasp the simple concept that NO - someone who keeps talking about how he's on a blowjob basis with God and how he actually helped jump-start his career, is NOT down to earth and DOES take himself seriously.

I mean, come ON! I've known fat girls desperate for some assurance who had more subtlety in fishing for it!

Heh, I realised this post was tongue in cheek, but I had to get to the comments to find out about Pat's blog. Don't usually go there any longer after one of the ads on that blog tried to send me a spybot.

Funny that all the other review blogs I read regularly or semi-regularly can do without that particular nuisance. ;)

Shameless plug: I just posted something about it on my blog. The more time that passes, the angrier I get for some reason. I know I should take it as Larry here, but for some reason it really gets to me...

I'm really trying to give Pat the benefit of the doubt here, but it's not that easy. My problem isn't with the self congratulatory parts - as much as the supposed "modesty" of the hotlist has been gone for longer than I've been reading the blog, I'll say that he's earned the right to count himself as influential - but I simply can't see this as anything but attention seeking. It's not that a retirement post in and of itself would be bad, but it's SEPTEMBER. He's talking about retiring in JANUARY. That's several months, and I can't see a single reason to bring it up now save for extra "noooo, don't go!!!!!" comments.

Nice use of Life of Brian quotes there, by the way :D As for the collaborative effort thing, I'm becoming resigned to the fact that for the most part, I'm not cut out to work on group projects. I never was the "good kid" in the sandbox ;)

The advantage of those group interviews for the reader is the wider range of questions instead of the routine of one blog (well, not all bloggers ask routine questions, but some do *wink*). One can't expect a busy author to do several blog interview when a new book is out, after all.